Blitz Off: Kristofferson Silverfox vs Ash Fox
by Gerard Cypriako
Summary: The boys get their hands on a chess kit and decide to play some matches as home is being restored in the sewer.


_You may replicate the game text on the chess analysis board of platforms such as Chess dot com._

 **Sewers**

 **One fox month into preparation for full animal housing restoration**

Getting back the old life was a slow as molasses process. It was a matter of symbiosis and enough determination that would help rebuild the order in which a corner of society functions.

Barely any trees were left from the confrontation and they wouldn't grow fast enough, so a contingency plan was designed for those who wanted to remain in the land but live outside of the sewers. Opposite to that, a couple of animals decided to go back to living with relatives on remote villages, causing the news to spread around as soon as one week after the community first spent a day in the sewers. That way, fellow communities sent resources and animalitarian help their way. Still, scholar courses were suspended until further notice, the young rarely found comfortable or safe spaces to practice sports, whilst adults were busy, mostly, digging and adjusting furniture to create the contingency underground homes, and possessions like comics and toys came in the least frequent.

Ash, now a practitioner of meditation, had grown a larger patience, but in the sewers - governed by quietude and tedium - it could get cussin' boring.

As for the real estate sewer settlers, each of their cubicles were relatively empty and ugly, but clean. More animals moving in meant their homes would look more lively, even if a bit crowded: that was the case when Kristofferson's father moved his family in to a nearby sewer residence, bringing the most belongings a family from the sewers had yet seen. Kristofferson helped his family unpack, and from the stuff he rescued a chess set made of vinyl.

By that time of day, the kit fox was still in pyjamas, and he asked to borrow the chess set. Shortly, he presented himself to Ash with the chess set and an analog clock.

"Want to play?"

"Sure."

Kris sat down on the floor of the Fox cubicle, laid down the pieces and unrolled the mattress board. Ash was already laying down, sprawled.

"Classic or Blitz?"

"If we were settling something, I would play Classic." Ash answered moderately.

"So Blitz it is?"

"Yeah".

Both boys arranged their pieces; unconsciously Ash picked black and Kristofferson white.

"Do you want to play at my family's table?" Kristofferson asked meekly, seeing Ash with his legs fully extended, moving them distractingly.

"It's fine here." Ash shrugged.

The clock was set ceremoniously to 10 minutes for each player - they shook hands and Ash pushed it to start.

Kristofferson went for the English opening - 1. c4

 **Click.**

Ash replied with 1. ...e5. King's Pawn.

 **Click.**

Kris also pushed his King's pawn. 2. e4.

 **Click.**

Ash went for more traditional play. 2. ...Nc6.

 **Click.**

Kris followed with 3. Nf3.

 **Click.**

3\. ...Nf6. from Ash. Both knights out.

 **Click.**

With slight hesitation, Queen's pawn to 4. d3.

 **Click.**

Ash checks with 4. ...Bb4+.

 **Click.**

Kris defends with 5. Nc3.

 **Click.**

Getting the Queen in lane with the bishop, 5. …Qe7.

 **Click.**

6\. ...a3, scaring off Ash's bishop.

 **Click.**

Ash retires it to d6, not very conveniently. 6. …Bd6.

 **Click.**

Kris moves 7. Nd5, menacing the Queen. And another knight.

 **Click.**

Queen to e6. 7. …Qe6.

 **Click.**

Attacking the Queen with the other knight. 8. Ng5.

 **Click.**

Ash makes a pretty challenging move, 8. …Qg4. Either offering a queens exchange or forcing the white Queen to move, allowing for the knight on g5 to be captured by the black Queen.

 **Click.**

Kris blocks the attack with 9. f3.

The last streak of turns, Kristofferson had spent much time to think his moves. Ash replied almost instantly. It was the opening, after all, but at that point Kris' clock was on 7:35, whilst Ash had used just about his first minute.

 **Click.**

Ash uses his opportunity to check. 9. …Qh4+.

 **Click.**

Kris blocks again with g3. 10. g3.

 **Click.**

10\. …Qh5. Queen to safety.

 **Click.**

11\. c5. attacking the bishop.

 **Click.**

Ash captures 11. …Bxc5.

 **Ash takes the bait.**

 **Click.**

Kristofferson checks with 12. Nxc7+, also threatening a rook.

 **Click.**

Ash's ear twitched.

Reluctantly, he moves 12. …Kd8.

 **Click.**

Kris captures the rook. 13. Nxa8.

 **Click.**

13\. …d6. Liberating the King's Bishop.

 **Click.**

The Queen enters the game. 14. Qb3.

 **Click.**

Ash teases the white Queen with 14. …Na5.

 **Click.**

Kristofferson checks with 15. Nxf7, the same double attack to King and rook as before.

 **Click.**

Ash moves his king to e7, not caving in to cease his own attacks. 15…Ke7.

 **Click.**

This move stopped Kristofferson on his tracks for a solid minute and a half. He couldn't capture the rook and leave his Queen to die. No other squares in the battlefield were safe for the Queen, and placing it in a4 wasn't very practical.

He put the queen back in d1. 16. Qd1.

 **Click.**

Ash captures the pesky knight. 16. …Qxf7.

 **Click.**

17\. f4.

 **Click.**

Ash again teases the Queen with 17. …Bg4.

 **Click.**

18\. Be2. Protects.

 **Click.**

18\. ...Bh3. Retreats.

 **Click.**

19\. b3. Kristofferson develops one last pawn.

 **Click.**

Ash takes back a knight to d7, opening up the Queen and letting his remaining rook attack Kristofferson's knight. 19. …Nd7.

 **Click.**

20\. b4 from Kristofferson, a double attack to black bishop and knight.

 **Click.**

20\. …Bb6. Pinning the vulnerable knight and risking itself to the white knight on a8. It would make for a sacrifice frenzy if Kris accepted it with Nxb6.

 **Click.**

Kris captures the knight with bxa5. 21. bxa5.

 **Click.**

Ash takes that pawn and checks. 21. …Bxa5+.

 **Click.**

Kris covers with 22. Bd2.

 **Click.**

Ash snatches the forgotten knight. 22. …Rxa8.

 **Click.**

Kris takes the bishop on a5. 23. Bxa5.

 **Click.**

Ash goes for 23. …exf4. Advancing the pawn, backed by the Queen, which could be dangerously freed if the pawn got captured.

 **Click.**

Kristofferson was seeing himself in a dominating position, with only one piece less than Ash, but he was short on time. He noticed he paused his clock on 2:58. A quick glance to Ash's clock and he was on six minutes with seventeen; as for Ash, the fox, he looked calm, sporting a mild furrowed brow, with his chin resting on his fist.

Kris took 58 seconds to move. 24. Bb4. Menacing to trapping the black bishop, but no cigar.

 **Click.**

24\. …Bg2. Onto the rook, avoiding slyly the bishop.

 **Click.**

Kris moves his rook. 25. Rg1.

 **Click.**

Ash pushes his pawn 25. …f3, protecting his bishop, inviting for an exchange of pieces resulting in material advantage for him and a better position, and threatening check in f2, even crowning if not dealt with. Triple whammy.

 **Click.**

Kristofferson moved his Queen away and didn't even fight it, instead trying to corner the black King from the lower half of the board.

26\. Qa4.

 **Click.**

Ash seizes the opportunity. 26. …f2+. Double attack on King and rook. His most powerful position in the game.

 **Click.**

27\. Kd2.

 **Click.**

Ash decides to capture the rook. 27. …fxg1=Q., potentially handicapping Kristofferson for his endgame, or more likely balancing the teams, with a rook and the Queen each.

 **Click.**

Kristofferson captures the second Queen with rook. 28. Rxg1. Pretty serious blunder that practically would hand the endgame to Ash.

 **Click.**

Ash blunders as well, not taking the chance and instead playing 28. …Bf3. Not a strong attack nor defense.

 **Click.**

Kristofferson gets his plan going, checking at 29. Qxd7+.

 **Click.**

Ash moves 29. …Kf8. A discovered attack, rival Queens facing.

 **Click.**

Kristofferson captures on d6. Check. 30. Qxd6+.

 **Click.**

Ash insists on confronting Kris' Queen. 30. …Qe7.

 **Click.**

Kris checks on f4. 31. Qf4+.

 **Click.**

Ash hides the King in the pawn barrier. 31. …Kg8.

 **Click.**

Kristofferson captures the loner bishop. 32. Qxf3.

Kristofferson has a single minute to checkmate.

 **Click.**

Ash attacks the Queen, or rather protects his King, with 32. …Rf8.

 **Click.**

Kristofferson counters, attacking the Queen on b4 with bishop. 33. Bb4.

 **Click.**

Ash pushes the rook to f7, hoping to kill the bishop that might take his Queen. 33. …Rf7.

 **Click.**

Bishop captures Queen. 34. Bxe7.

 **Click.**

But Ash opts for opening the pawn line instead. 34. …g6. Absolutely losing his chances to fight back.

 **Click.**

Kristofferson pins the rook with the bishop. Ash is only left to run. 35. Be6.

 **Click.**

King to g7. Ash begins escaping. 35. …Kg7.

 **Click.**

36\. Qxf7+. The Queen takes the rook and is onto the King, with only ten seconds on the clock.

 **Click.**

36\. ...Kh6.

 **Click.**

37\. Qf8+. Four seconds.

 **Click.**

37\. …Kh5. Three minutes and forty seconds. Ash is cool and fresh.

 **Click.**

It was the last turn, as Kristofferson ran out of time. Ash pointed to his cousin's clock when it happened, and Kristofferson offered his hand. Ash shook it.

"If this were a tournament, technically I'd be able to claim a victory," Kristofferson said looking at him "because it's mate in one."

He moved his pawn to g4#, effectively trapping the King.

Ash looked down fleetingly and then at his cousin again.

"Shame it isn't". he muttered, putting back the black pieces with quite the speed.

"You rushed." Kristofferson explained, in his confident but mannered tone. "After you checked on f2, you should have held the crowning pawn and attacked my Queen with Knight on c5. Supposing I moved Queen to d1, you could check my King with Knight b3" he gestured L hops over the squares he mentioned "attacking my rook at the same time, all while protected by the Queen."

Ash nodded.

"And when you crowned and I captured your second Queen, you should have checked at f2 with Queen. You would take my rook, get a winning position and have material advantage with your rook."

Ash flapped his nostrils.

"Let's give it another try."


End file.
